Meryl Streep ‘insulted’ by James Corden at costume awards

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Streep and Corden appeared together in 2014 film musical Into the Woods

Meryl Streep may be one of the most lauded film actresses of her generation – but she is also “a complete bitch”.

That’s according to James Corden, who went on to call his Into the Woods co-star “the worst” at a Hollywood bash.

Of course, the British chat show host was only joking as he presented Streep with a distinguished collaborator prize at the Costume Designers Guild Awards.

Oscar favourite La La Land and Marvel’s Doctor Strange were among the films honoured at the Los Angeles event.

‘She is the worst’

Corden was referring to Streep’s spat with US president Donald Trump when he made his jokey remarks.

He claimed the first time he introduced himself to Streep, at a London restaurant, she mistook him for a waiter, saying: “I’ll have the lemon-crusted salmon and a Diet Coke with no ice.”

The Late Late Show host joked: “What I’m trying to say is, and it’s time that someone said it, she’s a complete bitch. She is the worst.

“Now listen, I disagree with almost everything Donald Trump has ever said but when he tweeted that… I’m joking, of course. It’s great to see someone like Meryl finally recognised with an award.”

Image copyrightAP

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Lily Collins was recognised for her “enduring commitment to excellence”

Streep – who starred as a fashion magazine editor in The Devil Wears Prada – was recognised for her “unwavering support of costume design and creative partnerships with costume designers”.

Accepting the accolade, the three-time Oscar winner paid tribute to the “artistry” of the “many wonderful designers” she had worked with over the course of her long career.

She did not mention Mr Trump as she collected her award, but said she had wanted to be a costume designer herself.

“I have to dedicate this because it means a lot to me,” she said. “Not because I wanted to be a costume designer – which I did – but because my mother really wanted to be a costume designer.

“Halloween was like the run-up to fashion week in my house.”

Award for Thrones designer

La La Land beat Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie to the “excellence in contemporary film” prize, while Doctor Strange won the fantasy film equivalent.

Space race drama Hidden Figures received the excellence in period film award at an event that also saw Michele Clapton honoured for both The Crown and Game of Thrones.

It was the third year running that the Bafta-winning British costume designer was awarded for her work on Thrones.

Other winners on Tuesday included Lily Collins, who took home the guild’s Spotlight award.

The award given to Collins, daughter of musician Phil Collins, is to honour an actor “whose talent and career personify an enduring commitment to excellence, including a special awareness of the role and importance of costume design”.

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Michele Clapton’s necklace appeared to match the trophy she picked up for Game of Thrones

Musical romance La La Land is one of the five films up for this year’s costume design Oscar, a nomination that has raised eyebrows in some quarters.